Late Night Quidditch Practice
by sparrowlove
Summary: James wants to practice Quidditch. The others aren't so keen on the idea. Remus and Sirius sneak away. RemusSirius.


It was bad enough that James wanted to practice Quidditch in the middle of the night. It was bad enough that he couldn't convince the rest of the team to do so, even with a professor's permission to be on the grounds after dark. And it was bad enough that James had recruited his friends to help him practice, in the middle of the night, because his teammates wouldn't. Yes, all of this was bad enough. And then it started raining.

The rain was soft and gentle at first; if it hadn't been past midnight on a night in December, it actually would have felt rather nice. But the light shower quickly succumbed to the cold temperature, becoming a mixture of sleet and ice that pelted the boys as they flew. It bounced off the goal posts with a clicking noise and nicked the tail brushes of the brooms.

"C'mon, Prongs," Remus pleaded to James, who was flying somewhere to the left of him, Remus assumed, based on the glinting of the snitch in that direction. "Let's stop for tonight. I can't see, we've got an exam tomorrow, and now it's hailing on us."

"Aww, Moony," James replied loudly, now on Remus's right. "It's not that bad. Anyway, everyone else is still okay. Right, Wormtail?"

"I'm alright," Peter said from his place in the darkness.

"What about Sirius?" Remus raised his voice to be heard over the sound of the precipitation. "Oi, Padfoot? You want to knock off or keep playing in this muck?" Remus was waiting for an answer when something hit him hard from behind and clapped a hand over his mouth. He tumbled to the ground with Sirius on top of him. Remus couldn't see it in the gloom, but he was fairly sure Sirius was grinning. Then he heard that familiar bark of laughter and was positive.

"Mmphm," Remus said.

"What was that, Moony?" Sirius muttered.

"Get. Off. Me." Remus's annunciation was clear even from behind Sirius's palm.

Sirius's annunciation was also clear. "No." He barked a laugh again. Remus struggled beneath him, but soon gave up and let himself relax under Sirius's strong body. "Shhh," he whispered. Then, raising his voice. "Ah, fuck, Moony. Didn't see you there. You alright?" He lifted his hand from Remus's mouth.

"Ow," Remus said weakly.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing," Sirius proclaimed loudly, allowing Remus to get to his feet. "I'm going to take him up to the castle." Remus and Sirius walked off the field, leaving James and Peter behind to continue playing the Quidditch game. Once they were out of hearing distance, Sirius burst out laughing.

"Now what?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I suggest we get out of the rain, but other than that... well, I can think of a few things, but..." Just then the flickering light of a torch could be seen in the distance, moving towards them. "Shit," Sirius said.

"We have a note, remember?"

"No, Prongs and Wormtail have a note. We have nothing."

"I've never seen you get worked up about breaking the rules."

"Not about breaking them. About getting caught." Sirius grabbed Remus's arm and pulled him into a nearby bush.

"Calm down," Remus said. "What's going on?"

Sirius fidgeted, not wanting to spill his problems, even to Remus. Finally, he said, "The Headmaster told me that if I got in trouble again, I wouldn't be able to stay here over the holidays. That I'd have to go... there." Remus knew he meant Grimmauld Place.

"So go someplace else. Come stay with me. Or Peter. Or James; he even offered to let you move in there."

"I know. But what if I can't." Sirius sounded confused. Remus felt a bit confused. It was rare that he saw this side of Sirius; this nervous, unconfident side. To everyone else, Sirius was cocky and self-assured, but every once in a while, with Remus, he changed. Mostly when talking about his family. Understandable, Remus thought. They sat in the bush quietly, waiting for the carrier of the torch to move out of earshot.

Once the person in the darkness had walked away, Sirius was back to his usual self, pretending as though nothing had happened. "So as I was saying, I can think of a few things we can do, being as we're alone. Here. In the dark..."

Remus laughed. "Be glad it's not a full moon. You wouldn't be so happy to be alone in the dark with me then."

"I'll always be happy to be alone in the dark with you," Sirius said. He yawned.

"Tired?" Remus questioned.

"No," Sirius lied.

"I am. Anyway, we have exams tomorrow. So, bed?"

"I guess so," Sirius replied glumly. Then, more cheerfully, "Well, there's always tomorrow."

"If you don't get us expelled first."

"Is that a promise?"

Laughing, their bodies swallowed up by the darkness, they walked back towards the school.


End file.
